The present invention relates to flat panel displays and, more particularly, to a matrix-addressed flat panel display utilizing field emission cathodes.
Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are used in display monitors for computers, television sets, etc. to visually display information. This wide usage is because of the favorable quality of the display that is achievable with cathode ray tubes, i.e., color, brightness, contrast, and resolution. One major feature of a CRT permitting these qualities to be achieved, is the use of a luminescent phosphor coating on a transparent face. Conventional CRTs, however, have the disadvantage that they require significant physical depth, i.e., space behind the actual display screen, making them large and cumbersome. There are a number of important applications in which such requirement is deleterious. For example, the depth available for many compact portable computer displays and operational displays preclude the use of CRTs as displays. Thus, there has been significant interest and much research and development expended in an effort to provide satisfactory so-called "flat panel displays" or "quasi flat panel displays" not having the depth requirement of a typical CRT while having comparable or better display characteristics, e.g., brightness, resolution, versatility in display, power requirements, etc. These attempts, while producing flat panel displays that are useful for some applications have not produced a display that can compare to a conventional CRT.